PiperJet PA-47 Altaire
ATLANTA, GA. – Piper Aircraft, Inc. displayed its complete line of single-engine aircraft at the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) 63rd Annual Meeting and Convention, October 19-21, 2010 in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, including a mockup of the PiperJet, recently named the “Altaire!” The single-engine PiperJet PA-47 Altaire very light jet features a larger and an improved cabin than the original prototype, and definitely has the “lines” to make it appealing.
The PiperJet Altaire offers comfortable seating for up to seven people, including crew. Other improvements include a significantly larger cross section; 9-inch taller and 4-inch wider cabin; larger wing; round fuselage and nosecone; slimmer, longer nacelle; shorter vertical tail, which is farther aft; fuselage-mounted on top of the wing; no spar intrusion; and streamline belly faring.
Piper Aircraft believes that the company’s longevity and reliability, combined with single-engine efficiency, will make the PiperJet Altaire a very popular very light jet!
The PiperJet Altaire costs an average of 25 percent less to operate per hour than comparable production very light jets at $727.36 per hour at 320 kts, compared with $867.16 per hour at 310 kts for the Cessna Mustang, and $972.88 per hour at 324 kts for the Embraer Phenom 100.
Single-Engine vs. Twin-Engine
Piper Aircraft went with a single-engine design to lower operating costs, and because of the proven reliability of the Williams engine. Piper believes that the corporate world is looking to have a fiscally responsible image, and the single-engine very light jet does that, says Jacqueline Carlon, Director of Marketing at Piper Aircraft. Carlon believes that Pilatus Aircraft set the stage for single-engine corporate operations, and the stigma associated with single-engine jets is decreasing.
Performance
The PiperJet Altaire’s maximum range is targeted at 1,300 nautical miles with a maximum cruise speed planned at 360 knots. The airplane is designed to fly 1,200 nautical miles with a full fuel payload of 800 pounds.
State-of-Art Flight Deck
The PiperJet Altaire is equipped with an integrated flight deck, featuring Garmin G3000 avionics complete with the first touch screen-controlled glass panel designed for light turbine aircraft, three displays, two touch screens and a GFC 700 automatic flight control system.
Flight controls in the PiperJet Altaire cockpit uses “yokes,” replacing the side stick controls flown on the PiperJet proof of concept test aircraft. The improved aircraft also has crew seats that are easier to access and an ergo dynamic interface between pilot and avionics.
Interior
The PiperJet Altaire has a 3-ft wide cabin door for ease of passenger entry and exit while providing excellent cargo flexibility.
The PiperJet Altaire has dynamic crew and passenger seats for increased safety and comfort. The airplane also has comfortable club seating with an optional seventh seat located across the aisle from the entry door. A lavatory, storage compartment, or entertainment center is easily interchangeable for that seat. With a wide drop-down aisle, no wing spar intrusion, LED lighting, and dual controlled environmental system, the PiperJet Altaire’s interior has been styled for superior passenger comfort.
Altaire – The New Name
If anyone thought that employee morale was low in the aviation industry, think again! The PiperJet Altaire was the idea of Piper marketing director, Jacqueline Carlon, although the final selection of the name went through the committee approval process, which involves the dealer network.
While Piper is known for naming aircraft after the American Indian, there has been a shift from this to try to be more politically correct.
New names at Piper follow a “celestial” path, which makes sense considering that flying is associated with the sky, said Carlon. The name “Altaire” means a variable double star in the constellation Aquila, and “Alt” stands for “altitude,” and “aire” is air! As additional models of the PiperJet are designed, they will also have celestial names.
Testing & Delivery Dates
The baseline proof of concept PiperJet has flown more than 375 flight test hours and executed more than 350 takeoffs and landings. Now undergoing CAD modeling and analysis in the program’s detail design phase, the first of four conforming PiperJet Altaire flight test aircraft will begin flying in 2012. Certification and first customer deliveries are planned for 2014, slightly after the previously scheduled date.
Price point for the PiperJet Altaire is $2.5 million, with a typically equipped aircraft priced at $2.6 million.
About Piper Aircraft
Piper Aircraft Inc. is headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla., and offers nine models of single-engine and twin-engine trainer, personal and business aircraft.
Other Piper aircraft on display at NBAA included the Piper Meridian, the most cost-effective, pressurized turboprop in its class; the Piper Mirage, a single-engine, piston-powered pressurized aircraft; and the Piper Matrix, a single-engine piston-powered, cabin-class aircraft. The Brunei-linked investment firm, “Imprimis,” acquired Piper Aircraft in 2009.
www.piper.com
